Moonlight
by Toxic-Hibari
Summary: Toshiro Hitsugaya lost everyhting when his Grandmother died. He couldn't go to college, he lost his falt, and now countless people chase after him, wanting them for their own uses. Through the darkness is a boy, a boy with bright Orange hair, can he help?
1. Chapter 1

Moonlight

IchiHitsu

Chapter One

They passed each other everyday, the orange-haired teenager who was heading over to college and the teenager with the bright white hair… he had no job, no college to go to…  
>So really he was just a homeless kid who was forced to move out of his grandma's flat after she died, she was the only family he had. Today was a sunny day with streams of sunshine bouncing off surfaces but none more so than his head, that's probably the only reason the Kurosaki boy even noticed him. He stopped and then watched as Hitsugaya bolted past him, about four men chasing after him. He then looked ahead to see that the alarm had gone off in a shop and that the snowy haired boy was apparently the thief- but how could that be? That boy didn't even have anything on him! And his clothes were far to thing to hide anything from that shop, considering it was an electronic goods shop.<br>Ichigo quickly whipped round and tripped up two of them successfully before punching one of them straight in the face. He missed the last one and scowled as he handed his bag to a passerby and bolted after him, just as he had caught up the poor boy and grabbing him.

"Juvenile detention centre for you." Breathed the older male, burrowing his head in the tuft of spiky hair. "Although, before you go, perhaps you wouldn't mind spending some time with me-"

A sudden smack across the mans head knocked him out instantly, leaving a relieved looking Hitsugaya. Ichigo then turned to see a police car pull up next to him and frowned.

"Ah shit, I'm in trouble now." He murmured, grabbing his back off the person he gave it to and sighed. "You better go kid, we don't want the cops to take you away when you've done nothing wrong."

"But you never done anything wrong!" spluttered Toshiro, "You were helping me!"

"Yeah, well, I'm taking a guess your not really from this area, are you kid?" breathed Ichigo, "They don't care if you've done nothin', they just like the thrill of the chase."

Ichigo then turned to Toshiro and kneeled next to him, placing a bag in his arm before taking off a gold chain that was around his neck.

"Take these for me, and don't lose the chain. It was a chain my mother gave me. If I get caught, then there's a high chance I wont even get the chain back, that one of the little-" Ichigo cut himself off when he heard the door of the police car open. "Shit! Just look after the stuff, I'll find you again!"

He then bolted, leaving Hitsugaya stunned. The police officer appeared right in front of him and leered, kneeling down and breathing horrible smelling breath right into his face.

"C'mon kid, your coming with us." He said, causing Hitsugaya to flinch. The person behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, raising her voice.

"Officer, this child has done nothing wroung." She declared, "I was here the whole time, it looked as if the men that are lying on the ground were trying to kidnap him. Since one of them was talking about a juvenile detention centre, it's safe to assume that one of them is a police officer!"

The police officer looked up and smirked, noticing that this woman was actually quite beautiful. He completely ignored the boy and then went to stand next to the woman.

"Perhaps I need a little persuasion-."

"Get away from me before I report sexual abuse." She growled, causing him to back away, "Do your job and next time you try and speak to me like that again… I'll god damn report you asshole!"

The officer shot her a glare before he turned to the men on the ground, pulling out a walkie-talkie and started talking.

"Four men to be arrested in the high street of Karakura, and additional support to capture a college teenager with bright orange hair." He muttered, " A boy with white hair-"

The woman shot him a glare as Hitsugaya shrunk back, taking advantage of his size and the way he looked to pass off as a little kid.

He was shy for a sixteen-year-old and was weak when it came to defending himself. He had lost count on the amount of drunken geezers that had attacked him and then tried to use him for their own purposes. Somehow he was always saved in the nick of time; he just never expected that luck to come today since most of the people here were women.

"-The white haired boy is not suspicious." The officer said, grumbling the last part, "From what I have seen and from what witnesses have seen, he was being attacked."

The woman kneeled next to him and began whispering in his ear.

"Try and find your saviour." She whispered quickly, feeling the boy freeze beneath him, "Warn him… warn him that they are coming for him, that they are planning to hunt him down."  
>His teal eyes blinked before he turned and gave her a small bow, running off quickly with a bag under his arm and the gold chain clenched tightly in his fist. He ran round the corner and the leaned against a wall as police cars whizzed past him, panicking, he thought:<p>

_"What if I can't find him first?"_

* * *

><p>Ichigo smirked and then leapt over one of the bins in the ally he was in, hearing the shuffling and the barking of the police dogs that were chasing him. He knew he couldn't out run them for long, so all he had to do was outsmart them. He jumped up onto a bin and looked up, leaping towards a pole and grabbing it. He then reached out for a window ledge and climbed onto it, entering the deserted building before him.<br>He looked round and the noted that a squatter of some sort must live here due to the possessions in it. He also knew that because there was no board covering the window. Drawing out a silver lighter his dad had given him (even though he didn't even smoke for heavens sake!); he looked around the room, coming over to a mantel piece where a pile of paper was found. He picked a piece up and began to read.

_Dear Grandma  
>Today was a strange day, when I was in town I walked past this boy with really bright orange hair! He had a bag slung over his shoulder and he was wearing a tartan shirt and normal jeans, although to tell you the truth I thought that his shirt was too tight around his neck!<em>

_Anyway, I was looking round and I found this really nice necklace that you would like, although I may have to dig into my college savings for it.  
>Things are going well, I have signed up for Karakura College but I am also sad that it is so far away. I wish mom and dad were still alive to see me go study my favourite thing, Music- oh wait, I don't need to tell you this, you should be able to remember due to the fact you've raised me since I was little.<em>

_I'll be coming back soon for a few weeks before I start.  
>I hope you are well.<br>Toshiro_

Snowflake? That's what the name meant anyway. He scanned around and then widened his eyes as he pulled a certificate- a certificate of someone's death. He moved his lighter to the side and found a picture at the end of the mantelpiece. He didn't pick it up because it wasn't right to actually touch anyone's property at all. He squinted slightly to see the picture.

His hand slackened and the lighter hit the ground moments later, making the room go black once more. The picture… the picture had a small boy standing in front of an older woman, his white hair being ruffled ruthlessly. He had bright teal eyes and he looked so very, very happy. He was wearing a jumper that had his name lettered across it, clearly stating his name as 'Toshiro Hitsugaya'.

Ichigo didn't know what to say, it was just all too shocking. The boy he had met today, the one who was being chased… that was the boy? He closed his eyes but there was no denying it. No other person in Karakura town had white hair, the only other colours similar to it were silver and grey. He began muttering to himself as he felt around the floor for his lighter and when he found it, he came across a book. As he opened it, his eyes softened as he saw what it contained. Music. Lots and lots of music. He flipped it to halfway and noticed an uncompleted piece and looked at the date. He then looked at the date of the death certificate and sighed. His assumption was right. Toshiro Hitsugaya stopped writing music when his grandmother died. He read the piece over and over before he closed the book over and got to his feet.

He looked out the window and his smirk returned when he noticed they had lost his trail. Jumping out the window, he caught on the pole and then swung towards the bin, grimacing slightly when he slipped and hit the ground. What he had to do now was find this 'Toshiro' and get his stuff back.

This was not what he had expected. He was running for his life again! It was frustrating, he had only just gotten away from those men and now more of them were after him.

* * *

><p><em>"What the hell did I do to deserve this?"<em>

He skidded round a corner and widened his eyes and he came face first with a wall. He knew he wouldn't make it out in time, but he had to try. Slipping the necklace in his pocket and zipping it as fast as he could. He ran back out, his skull connecting with someone's hand.

"Ah, finally… I got you." He chuckled darkly. Toshiro shot him a glare and struggled uselessly, his hands being restricted behind his back by the other male. He tried to make a sound but he couldn't, his throat had gone dry and he was feeling dehydrated. If miracles happened, he needed one right now-!

The man continued to chuckle and the one behind him began to snicker. It had been a long time since they had found such a half-decent prize; they would get a lot of money for this one. This first one tightened his grip on his face as the second worked to tie his hands behind his back. A few moments passed and a white van showed up, and just as they moved, something hit the man behind Toshiro head on.

"I don't know how many times I'm gonna have to save your ass kid." Growled Kurosaki, looking up with a vein popping out of his head, "But that isn't really the thing that's annoying me now… THE THING THAT IS GOD DAMN ANNOYING ME IS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE FOR SOME DAMN REASON ARE TRYING TO KIDNAP YOU!"

He turned and smacked the one in front of Hitsugaya, him getting knocked to the ground with a bleeding nose. Toshiro let out a small gasp and fell forwards. Ichigo caught him and widened his eyes.

"Toshiro? Toshiro?" he said, shaking him, "Wake up!"

"Don't tell her…" murmured Toshiro, clinging onto the last of his consciousness. "Don't… tell her…"

"Don't tell who? Don't tell who what exactly?" blurted out Ichigo.

"Don't tell… her… I don't wanna… worry her…" whispered Toshiro quietly, his eyes flickering closed. Ichigo's head snapped up as the alarms of police cars began to get closer.

"Great, just what I need!" growled Ichigo, picking up Hitsugaya and taking his bag back. He ran forwards, the boy remaining limp in his arms as he ran.

* * *

><p>The first place that was in range was the clinic that his dad was working in. he had owned that clinic for many years and it was surprising that the place was still going. He ran through the door to find a startled Isshin staring at him and one of his twin sisters raising an eyebrow.<p>

"Ichi-nii, is that boy dead?" she questioned, brushing a bit of black hair from her face. "Or unconscious?"

"Damn it Karin!" growled Ichigo, glaring daggers at her, "You seriously think I would bring a dead body here? Especially with Yuzu's fear of corpses-"

"OH MY GOD! ICHI-NII, WHO IS THAT?" cried Yuzu, standing at the door with horror filled eyes. Ichigo let out a small groan before turning to his father.

"Dad, I think he's suffering from dehydration." Said Ichigo quickly, "Water?"

Isshin nodded and the signalled for Ichigo to follow him. Ichigo glanced at both of his sister as he followed before he looked down at the struggling boy. He would find out on what was going on, he just had to!

* * *

><p>Opening his eyes slowly, Toshiro blinked and sat up slightly and looked round. He knew it wasn't his home and he knew it wasn't a hospital, it was instantly recognisable as a bedroom. It was a plain bedroom, so it was easily assumed to be boy's bedroom. He looked out the window and noticed the stream of moonlight hitting his face. He covered his face and looked towards the side to miss the blinding light and then noticed someone lying on the ground. The moonlight caught of his head and Toshiro widened his eyes. It was him, the boy who had saved him twice already. Had he brought him here? He looked outside and sighed. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep until he saw it… he needed to see the photograph again before he went back to sleep. He got off the bed and kneeled down next to the sleeping teen, prying his hand open before reaching for his pocket. A small chain was drawn out and then he placed it in his hand, closing It again. He looked over to the desk and noticed a jotter and a pen already lying there, so he ripped out a page and began scribbling quickly.<p>

_To-_

Toshiro stopped and then frowned. He didn't even know his saviours name. He grabbed the jotter and looked at the front of it before he began writing again.

_To Ichigo Kurosaki_

_Thank you for everything._

_I don't think I would still be in this town if you hadn't saved me the first or the second time. I know it's really confusing for you and I know you know nothing of my life, but I suggest you stay away from me. It is not safe._

_If you see me again, act as if you have never met me and get on with life. Just pretend I'm an outsider or a tourist, just a boy who has no value._

_I'll watch my back and I'll be careful, although there is no guarantee I'll be fully safe in this town. I would have liked to stay and get to know you better, but that would have just made things more complicated. I… I don't know what to do, but I'll figure something out._

_Thank you, again._

_Toshiro Hitsugaya._

He carefully folded the noted up and gently left it on Ichigo's chest before climbing back onto the bed, freezing momentarily when it creaked but then kept moving. He opened a window and with one last fleeting look, he closed his eyes and jumped.

* * *

><p>AN: New story...And new story type for me I guess, I normally write HitsuKarin but I guess a change was in order so i wouldn't get bored of writing completely. Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you reviewed and rated. thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Moonlight

IchiHitsu

Chapter Two

He closed his eyes and jumped. A few seconds later he landed on the ground, his feet making a light 'crunch' sound. He looked up to the window and let out a low smile before he ran off. He didn't know what made him want to do it, all he knew was that he really needed to see the picture of his grandma, it felt as if it soothed his soul.

He continued to run and then came to the ally way, jumping onto a bin and then clinging to a pole. He then reached out for a window ledge and pulled himself up, his size causing him problems to get up quite often. As he reached the window, he raised an eyebrow to see that the window was open, then just shrugged it off. He probably left it open when he left this morning but when he entered the room he knew something was wrong. He knew every single location in the room and he had a rewind-able energy torch in the room.

He wound it up and looked round to see the dust had been disturbed all around the place. He then looked at the ground and widened his eyes. His music book had been touched. He hadn't touched that for over two years, not since his grandma had died he flicked it open and then scanned it, sighing. It was a piece he was preparing for college on his first day, unfortunately that day never came.

He had already been exceptional bright, so at the age of thirteen years old the college of Karakura town made a deal with him. When he turned fourteen years old he could join due to the fact that he had passed all possible grades the highest year in secondary school.

He was all set to go, but on the nineteenth of December, a day before his fourteenth birthday, his grandmother was shot in a supermarket. They could have saved her, but the weather that was day was severe and due to all the trees that had fallen onto the road, ambulances couldn't get there in time. She was the only person left in his life, and that was cruelly taken away from him.

He dint know what to do, he lived with his grandmother and he spent all his college savings on her funeral. He was then quickly kicked out of the small flat they had lived in and he was left to wander the streets of Karakura by himself, leaving him scared and afraid. He didn't know what to do, he played Guitar and played on the streets until he got mugged and that guitar was taken off him. Toshiro then began squatting, and since then he had been living in semi-comfort, due to fast food places thinking he was a homeless child, they would occasionally give him leftover scraps of food and drinks.

He had been trying to save up to get into college, he had managed to get jobs in café's and all, but then something would happen, as if certain customers getting arguments with him and then he'd get fired. It was as if he didn't belong anywhere. Toshiro shook his head, telling himself off for thinking about the past. The past caused pain, what he had to do was focus on the future.

He picked up his music book and lifted a pen, but nothing came to mind. He was lost already and he hadn't even thought about it. He never started a new song until he managed to finish the one he had been writing. He turned off his flashlight as he noticed it was now light outside, probably around 8:00-9:00am.

"That's a nice music book you have there, boy."

Toshiro froze and scanned the room, but saw no one.

"W-Who's there?" he said, trying to make his voice sound threatening but failed terribly, it came out in a barely audible squeak. He looked for the window and thought about running, but the question was, would he make it there before the stranger did.

"Is something the matter?" he snickered, coming from the dark corner of the room, "It looks like you are, but don't worry, I'm only after your music."

Toshiro took a step back and pressed his back into a wall, hoping he would sink back into it. He wouldn't give it up just like that, the music in this book was precious to him, he had made most of it for his grandmother and he wouldn't give it up, he'd rather be dead!

"Stay away!" Toshiro suddenly growled, causing a dark chuckle to come from the man in front of him. He flinched as he came ever closer and clutched at his book desperately, sinking down as a hand slammed against the wall.

"Give me the book and I won't hurt you." He hissed, his hand reaching down and grabbing the tuft of white hair. Toshiro let out a yelp and instinctively booted the man in the shins. He made a hissing noise and this is when he bolted, book under arm and leaping out the window. He hit the ground and then felt a shock go through his ankle and let out a cry of pain. He limped slight but then was forced to run when he heard a thump net to him.

He ran out into the street and kept running, causing people to look at him confused and started shouting and cursing as they saw the man in pursuit.

"Someone call the police!" shouted a female on the street, "That man is trying to kidnap that child!"

Toshiro let out a sigh of relief that he still looked childish but still let a vein pop onto his head since he knew he was a young adult who was smarter than most. He looked across the street and ran into a shopping centre. There was a high chance he would lose the man in there.

He kept running until his skull connected with another shopper.

"S-sorry!" he gasped, leaping back onto his feet and helping the girl with black hair back up.

"Hey wait! Aren't you that boy Ichi-nii brought into the clinic?" she said, staring at him, then turning towards the girl behind him, "Told you Yuzu, he wasn't dead!"

Yuzu gave a timid nod and smiled, stretching out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Yuzu Kurosaki." She said. Toshiro looked at her outstretched hand while he took a mental argument in his head_. They wanted to meet him now? When he was running for his damned life?_

He took it and then gave a small bow.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya." He said quickly, then turning towards the Raven. "So you two are sisters of Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Yup," said the Raven, "My name is Karin Kurosaki. Me and Yuzu are Ichigo's younger twin sisters."

Toshiro nodded and then looked behind him to see the infuriated man standing on the escalator.

"Sorry, but I need to go!" shouted Toshiro, running away.

"Wait!" shouted Karin, "Don't you want to see Ichi-nii? He's in the centre with us!"

Toshiro's heart stopped as his eyes widened. Ichigo Kurosaki was here? This was not helpful. He didn't want to drag the boy with the vibrant orange hair into this again. He ran through a clothing shop and when he reached the end of the clothing centre he stopped and gasped for breath. He looked round but the man was no where in sight. He let out a sigh of relief and unstuck his white fringe from his head and looked at the book in his arms.

"Toshiro."

Toshiro turned round and saw Kurosaki standing there, a bag slung over his shoulder. His brow was furrowed, mostly with worry but some out of anger. He strode towards him and whacked on the top of his head with his wallet, causing Toshiro to glare daggers at him.

"If you were going to leave you could have said something kid." Muttered Ichigo, "You had no idea how worried I was about you!"

"First things first Kurosaki." Muttered Toshiro, glaring at him still, "I am not a kid, I am sixteen years old. Two, you don't control what I do and three, you shouldn't even know who I am damn it!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and then kneeled down onto the floor, before looking at the book Toshiro was holding.

"It's a music book, right?" said Ichigo, causing Toshiro to grow confused, "it's got music written for a great number of instruments."

"H-how do you know that?" demanded Toshiro.

"Look at the books spine." Said Ichigo, pointing towards it, "it clearly says 'Music: Guitar, Piano, Violin, Saxophone and Bass Guitar'. I'm taking a guess you play these instruments?"

Toshiro's pale cheeks flushed an abnormal red before he nodded shyly.

"I've played since I was little." Said Toshiro after a thought, "But I don't own the instruments anymore, they were stolen from me when my grandmother di-"

Hitsugaya cut himself abruptly. Hadn't he just told himself not to think about the past? He shook his head and looked sorrowfully at Ichigo.

"Never mind."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and shrugged. If it was personal then it was personal, he just couldn't help feeling worried for the poor kid.

"Whatever you-" Ichigo blinked when Toshiro suddenly shoved him out the way and got smacked to the ground, his music book skidding and hitting a wall nearby. Ichigo stared at an angered man who was now smirking as he shoved a foot onto the poor Snowflake's head.

"HEY, LEAVE HIM ALONE DAMN IT!" shouted Ichigo. "HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YOU BASTARD!"

The man leered at him before picking Toshiro up by the scruff of his neck and raising him into the air, shaking him about wildly.

"If you want him back so badly…" muttered the man, taking a step back, "then take him!"

Hitsugaya went rigid as he felt himself get hurled through the air, but thankfully Ichigo was already there to catch him. The man the ran to the wall and picked up the book before scattering.

"H-Hey! Come back…!" shouted Toshiro, "Give it back!"

Ichigo frowned before he put Toshiro down.

"Don't worry, I'll get your book back, I promise!" said Ichigo, running after him. Toshiro sat on the ground, refusing to let tears fall from his eyes. His hand was resting on a book that had fallen from Kurosaki's back, so he quickly picked it up and planned to put it back until a piece of paper fell from it.

He flipped it over and then let out a smile as he recognized what it was. Sheet music. Sheet music for piano. He opened the book and his smile grew wider.

It was all well written, elegantly you could say, but Toshiro could tell it was most likely written by a female. It was more curved and italic like, his was more basic and complicated since it varied in instrument. He stared at the sheets and recognised the first songs to be in a Scottish waltz style. He had studied Scottish Music, but he had mostly focused on writing his own music anyway.

He looked up and sighed, shutting the book and putting it back where it was. He didn't really have the right t look at any of the music, but it was just force of habit for him to look at any form of music. Probably his need to learn new things… like normal…

His attention snapped towards downstairs as gunfire and screaming could be heard. He got to his feet, wincing slightly before he ran with Ichigo's bag on his shoulder. He kept running and the widened his eyes in shock and horror while he heard everyone screaming.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Does anyone know who he is? Who he was with?"

"I-I think he had his two sisters with him, but didn't he tell them to run away?"

"Hold on, wait! What about that white haired boy he was with? His brother perhaps?"

All attention tuned to him and gasped at his expression. Their instinct told them not to let him see what was going on, but… They all began shouting as he ran past them and stopped when he saw first aid surrounding a body. That's when he saw it.

The bright tuft of orange hair right at the end. He turned round the corner and saw his facial expression contorted in pain and agony. Toshiro would have ran forwards, but he was stopped before he could make it.

"Let the medics deal with this kid," said an older male, "if you wanna help, you could give us any available details on him…"

"R-right…" said Toshiro, "His name is I-Ichigo… K-Kurosaki… and… he's a c-college s-student…"

"Anything else?" he pressed.

"No…" whispered Toshiro quietly, "I only met him y-yesterday…"

The man sighed and nodded, saying something on the lines of 'well, as long as we have his name we can figure out the rest of his details… isn't Isshin Kurosaki his father?' but Toshiro completely blanked him out. It was his entire fault!

"Excuse me, but are you Toshiro?"

Toshiro froze and turned round to see a medic beside him, staring at him with worried eyes. Toshiro nodded.

"He's asking for you, he said he needed to return something." She said quietly. Toshiro walked past her and then towards Ichigo. Ichigo turned his head to the side and forced out a smirk.

"Told you… I would… get it… back…" he murmured, forcing his arm to move until Toshiro stopped it and took the book off him.

"Thank you, Kurosaki." Said Toshiro, bowing. "You don't realise how much this means to me."

"Heh, I can take a guess." Said Ichigo, biting at his lip slightly as he felt a stabbing pain in his side. Just his luck, he had to get shot in the middle of a shopping centre, right?

"You shouldn't take." Said Toshiro slowly, "You're just putting more strain on your body therefore you are putting more strain into our wound. Aren't you the son of a doctor?"

"Don't bring my father into this." Laughed Ichigo, wincing slightly, "I'll be an even better doctor than him."  
>Toshiro rolled his eyes until he felt someone tap his shoulder.<p>

"The ambulance is here, you must move." Said a gentle voice, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder, "He needs to get treatment immediately."

Toshiro nodded and then got to his feet until Ichigo forced him to stay by grabbing his ankle. He looked down with a confused expression when Ichigo closed his eyes.

"Come visit…" he said, his grip growing slack around his ankle causing Toshiro to panic until the woman tightened her grip to bring him back to earth.

"Do not panic." She whispered. "It is quite normal for someone who had been shot to allow themselves unconscious, it's a mechanism to prevent more pain."

Toshiro gave a stiff nod and moved as medics rushed passed him and laid down a stretcher, placing Ichigo on it and taking him away. Toshiro remained stiff as people stared at him and the book he was holding.

"That man is going to pay!" growled one of the public, "Who knows how many people he has tried to kill!"

Toshiro turned to look at him in surprise.

"Who is this man?" questioned Toshiro, "Is he well known?"

"Have you never heard of him?" said the citizen, "That man is Sosuke Aizen, a man that usually kills the person and then robs them! I'm surprised that this man has not killed you."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. So this 'Aizen' character is the one who tried to steal his music, attacked Ichigo when speaking to him and shot Ichigo? That's just plain disgusting. Toshiro thought he had life hard, but now this killer was still on the loose and was probably trying to kill Ichigo for defending him.

"I need to go!" Toshiro blurted out, pushing away from the crowds that had gathered around him and just as he got outside a huge flash happened right in his face and microphones were thrust at him.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya, you were with Ichigo Kurosaki when he got shot, correct?"

"Is it true that Aizen tried to murder you and the brave college student saved your life?"

"Hitsugaya Toshiro, from what we hear Ichigo Kurosaki risked his life to get your music book back, may we have a look?"

Toshiro stared at all these people, terrified. They weren't here to take him away, but he didn't really want his face all over the T.V and newspapers either. He pushed past them and kept running, many of them following and trying to get information out of him. He was running, running to- where exactly could he go? He couldn't go home, because Aizen knew he lived in that deserted flat now.

He stopped and looked round to see that they were still chasing. He really couldn't run anymore either, his ankle was killing him. Where could he go… where could he go…?

Snap decision. They wouldn't be allowed to follow him into a hospital would they? He turned on his heel once again and bolted, reaching Karakura hospital within seconds and then slowing down as he got to the door. Opening it quickly, he shut it behind him and walked into the waiting room to see a familiar face looking at him with surprise.

"R-Rangiku?" he uttered, the strawberry blonde bouncing up and pulling him into a death hug.

"Aw Shiro! I never thought I'd see you again ever since Grandma died!" she squealed, earning a warning look from the woman at the reception.

"Anyway, why are you here?"

"I-I'm here to visit someone…" said Toshiro, looking down, "But I don't think he's been t-treated yet… maybe he's still in the m-middle of treatment…"

"Awww, you're still as shy as you were last time I saw you! And you haven't grown an inch." She teased, ruffling his hair. "Uncle Ukitake has been worried about you, he couldn't find a trace of you actually. There were times when we assumed you were dead…"

"I'm sorry," said Toshiro, looking down, "I just… couldn't bring myself to go back after grandma died and-"

"Relax, said Rangiku, winking, "Wait here ok? I need to visit a friend."

"Who do you know whose here?" questioned Toshiro.

"You remember Rukia?" asked Rangiku, "She's here because when we had a night out things kinda went out of hand. Drunken idiots…"

Rangiku sighed as she began going over the details of her night out with the young Kuchiki. According to what Rangiku was saying, they went out because Byakuya, Rukia's older brother, wanted some time alone, and during that time they were being harassed by drunken men.

"Did you know Byakuya is engaged?" said Rangiku all of a sudden, "He's getting married to a woman called Soi Fon, apparently that family is quite well known for competing in lots of sports, so I'm taking a guess that she is quite athletic too. She's nothing like Hisana!"

"Remember Rangiku, the Kuchiki clan is a very rich noble family." Said Toshiro; "Being married means that if Byakuya were to die, the Kuchiki Company would at least have someone else to pass it on to if Rukia were not able to do it."

Rangiku nodded and ruffled his hair again, causing him to frown.

"How very smart Shiro." She bubbled, "Anyway, I'll talk to you later."

She went to the reception who then gave her a pass to the room Rukia was being held in. Toshiro knew that he had to go up to the reception and ask to go see Kurosaki, but when his shyness managed to kcik in…

No, he would ask. It didn't matter if he was shy or not. He slowly walked towards the desk and blinked, not knowing what to say.

"Yes?" she said, looking at him while filing her nails.

"I-I'd like to visit Kurosaki I-Ichigo…" he mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Sorry, Kurosaki Ichigo is only allowed to have family visit him." She said.

"Well, um… I'm his cousin." Bluffed Toshiro, not looking her directly in the eyes. She raised an eyebrow and stopped filing her nails and then picked up the work phone, dialling in four numbers and then began talking.

"Hello, we have a visitor for Ichigo Kurosaki- yes, he claims to be a cousin?" said the woman, pausing momentarily, "His name is-"

She turned to look at him with a questioning look.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya." He said bluntly, looking at the ground.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya." She replied, "Could you please ask Mr. Kurosaki if he could visit? Yeah… I'll tell him to hold on a minute."

A few moments passed and then shouting could be heard and a faint squeal could be heard from the other line. The woman dropped the phone in surprise but picked it up quickly when she heard talking again. She frowned before hanging up and turning to Toshiro with a pass.

"Ninth floor, Room Seventeen." She muttered, handing it to him. Toshiro gladly accepted it and ran off, his heart beating frantically.

Ichigo grumbled to himself as a nurse sat in the corner of the room, hiding her face with a clipboard. What was the big deal? He had already told the idiots to let Toshiro in when he arrived!  
>He sat for a few moments when he heard a timid knock at the door and smirked.<p>

"_Heh, that's Toshiro for ya." _Thought Ichigo, watching the nurse scurry to the door and open it, revealing a dishevelled Toshiro standing there, twitching slightly.

"Toshiro, what's wrong?" asked Ichigo, tilting his head to the side.

"First of all Kurosaki." Muttered Toshiro, "I've been getting chased by journalists and T.V presenters asking about you, then I bump into my cousin downstairs and then I had to make excuses just to see you!"

Ichigo smirked and indicated to the chair next to him before glaring at the nurse.

"Can I have some privacy when I have visitors?" said Ichigo sharply.

"But Mr. Kuro-" she was cut off by his growling.

"I want some privacy! You can check my damn pulse rate later!" shouted Ichigo, causing her to whimper and run away.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh Kurosaki?" asked Toshiro.

"No, I just hate the fact that I'm forced to stay here and then they say I have to be supervised? No way!" muttered Ichigo crossly. Toshiro put his hands up into the air to show that he meant no harm by what he said, he'd most likely react the same way if he was being treated that way too.

"How is it…?" questioned Toshiro, "The, um…"

"Where I got shot? Fine, why?" said Ichigo, his mood lightening slightly, "If you think it's your fault, it's not-"

"But it is Kurosaki!" blurted out Toshiro, "It's all my fault! If I never stopped running, if I had run away you wouldn't be like this! It should have been me that got shot!"

Ichigo glared at him. How could he even think like that? No one deserves to get shot- but then again, maybe this boy was someone who always blamed himself for everything. Toshiro looked at the ground, trembling slightly as he bit his lip. He allowed the book he was holding to hit the ground, his most recent work falling out and hitting the leg of the hospital bed.

Ichigo sighed and painfully leant to the side but was stopped by Toshiro.

"It's fine Kurosaki, I can get it myself." He said quietly, kneeling down and picking it up without a word.

"Toshiro-" Ichigo was cut off quickly.

"Do me a favour Kurosaki." Said Hitsugaya silently, looking at him with dead eyes. "Stay away from me. I don't want you to get hurt over the most stupid of things. I attract trouble and if you stay near me the chances of you surviving are close to zero."

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest but it came out as a gasp of pain as Toshiro ran out the room quickly, book in hand. He winced when he tried to stand again but the ended up collapsed on the fllor. His attention was brought to a piece of paper in front of him. It was the music sheet he had dropped, but it was flipped over and writing could be seen.

_Ichigo_

_Thank you, for everything_

_I didn't want to leave, but I don't want to cause any more pain, to you… or to me_

_Perhaps this makes me a selfish person. I never… wanted things to turn out this way._

_So as a way of my saying sorry, please take the music on the other side as yours._

_I wrote it for my Grandmother for me leaving, but unfortunately she died before she could hear it. In the future, if I'm still alive and that man hasn't come out to kill me again, I'll come play it for you…_

_I'm… so sorry._

_Goodbye, Ichigo_

Ichigo closed his eyes quickly but he could tear feel his tears hitting the note and smudging the writing. What had he ever done to deserve this? He had no one to look after him, the closest person to him was dead, but what was he to do now? Keep running? And what did he talk about, the man? Surely he wouldn't come after him?

Some things just weren't meant to be answered.

* * *

><p>AN: . I updated without a single review... wow. Anyway, I know some people read it because it's in 4 people's fav lists and 1 persons subscription, so I'm updating for that one person... If you read this, care to leave a review? thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

He reached the bottom of the stairs and ran into Rangiku, who was staring at him confusedly.

"Toshiro, what's going on-!" she was suddenly pushed out the way and she started panicking, "Hey! Wait!"

He refused to listen, he clutched his book to his chest and kept running. He had to get away, far, far away from this place. It was best for everyone… and best for Ichigo and his family, why should he bring such a good hearted boy with such a pure soul into this? it was just all too unbearable.

He never noticed, but he was actually a far way from the hospital and he could feel the stares of people on him, some were concerned while some just smirked and laughed at his appearance, not actually knowing what had happened early that day. Toshiro looked up at the now darkening sky but kept running. He ran round a corner and kneeled down, rummaging in his pocket for the little money he had left.

He barely had £100. He refused to spend any of it on food unless severely needed. With that money, he could get a train into the next town and start afresh there. Sakura Town was smaller than Karakura, but it was quite a deadly place. It was rumoured that a lot of the criminals that had escaped were from that area. He could go to the other down which was the opposite way which was known as Limye village, but it was considerably smaller than Sakura village.

He chose the smaller of the two, deciding that it was safe to go to a place where there weren't people out for his guts. He ran forwards, gasping when he reached the entrance of a train station and went up to one of the machines. The assistant raised an eyebrow and then started muttering.

"Sorry, children aren't allowed to go on a train without an adult-" he looked down at the I.D that was placed on the table and smirked, "Heh, you're very small for someone who's sixteen kid, but Identification is Identification. Where to?"

"Limye Village." Said Toshiro quickly, scanning the area.

"Yup, sure thing." He said, "The only train available for that village is to go through Sakura Town first, is that ok?"

Toshiro hesitated momentarily before nodding. He brought out the £7 that it cost, before picking up his book and scurrying off and going through the scanner and waiting for the train that he had just caught. Last time he was in a train was when he was travelling from Junrinan, which was up north. If he remembered correctly, Rangiku was from a town called Gomandai, which was a bit further down.  
>He was thankful when the train came to a halt and the doors opened, allowing the other passengers to go on first. As he boarded, he looked round and saw one available cabin that was empty. He sighed with relief and sat down, placing his book on the table that came with it. A few moments later, however, a small girl walked through, her hands clasped together nervously.<p>

"Excuse me." She said timidly, "May I sit with you, all the other cabins are full and I-I d-d-don't really want to sit with the older ma-males…"

"It's fine." Said Toshiro, understanding fully on what she meant. "Take a seat, miss…?"

"My name is Momo, Momo Hinamori." She said cheerily, "And you name is?"

"Toshiro Hitsugaya." Offered Toshiro, moving his book so she could put her bag down. "Where you headed?"

"Limye village." she said happily. "I recently got a placement in Karakura College so I got my own flat over there."

Toshiro gave a stiff now and looked down. Great, she was going to see him totally lost in a village he didn't know.

"Where are you going?" she asked suddenly, looking him up and down "I hope it's not Sakura Town?"

"No, I'm going to Limye Village too." He said, and then muttering under his breath, "Homeless, but whatever…"

"Did you just say homeless?" she gasped. Toshiro shook his head and sighed.

"No, I'm just muttering to myself." Replied Toshiro crossly, turning away from her.

"Don't lie to me!" she shouted, banging her fists off a table, "Your homeless and you decided to go to Limye village cause it's far safer than Sakura Town!"  
>Toshiro ignored her and began flickering through his music book in an attempt to block her out, but it was failing terribly.<p>

"Fine, if you have no where to stay, stay with me!" she said, causing Toshiro to look up at her with confused eyes before frowning.

"What the hell? You don't even know me damn it!" shouted Toshiro, "I could be this psychopath killer out to kill people and now you go 'Stay with me!'? What the hell?"

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped back, trembling slightly "I just don't want you to stay out in the streets in the freezing cold, because, because… I don't want someone as nice a person as you to get hurt!"

Toshiro softened his eyes and sighed. Now that he thought about it, staying with her wouldn't be so bad, as long as he didn't drag her into his troubles it should be… near enough fine.

"Fine, if I stay with you will you shut up?" said Toshiro, trying to sound like he still didn't want to do it. Momo brightened her eyes and nodded.

"Sure thing." She said, beaming.

* * *

><p>Ichigo sat in the hospital, grumbling to himself as he flicked through the channels and then stopped at the news one when it came to the Shopping mall in Karakura. It showed lots of people at the door, the backs of medics showing as a figure in a stretcher was picked up and whisked away.<p>

"_Look at me, I'm famous." _thought Ichigo, watching as the doors suddenly opened and a white haired boy ran out, panic-stricken. Ichigo widened his eyes as the boy was easily identified as Toshiro, who was now covering his face from all the flashes and clenching his eyes shut as questions were bombarded at him.  
>Ichigo continued to watch as he kept running; many of the press and television reporters still following him. He raised an eyebrow as his doctor sense came in as he saw him limping slightly.<p>

"_He's hurt!" _thought Ichigo, continuing to watch as all the camera's stopped following as Toshiro ran into his hospital, the hospital he was in. How long had they been chasing him for?

"Due to these television reporters wanting the latest gossip on the case, this poor kid was chased mercilessly for more than three hours." She said. Ichigo frowned. Three hours? He wondered how much pain the Snowflake would have been in. the question that was bothering him, however, was the fact that he didn't know where the boy was now!  
>The Strawberry looked down and sighed, staring at the piece of paper that was still in his hands. The music was still intact, but it was confusing. He was brought up learning Piano music from his mother and when she died, he continued it for her sake. But this piece… it was actually a full-fledged song.<p>

He placed it next to his bedside table and then reached for his bag, pulling out his music and comparing the sheets. Nope, they were nothing alike. His was more… basic yet complicated while his mothers were all swirls and italic notes. The only thing Ichigo was disappointed about was that he never managed to show Toshiro it.

* * *

><p>3 MONTHS LATER<p>

Toshiro watched as Hinamori Momo left a spare set of keys on the table and some money along with it.

"Shiro, if you don't mind…" she said, "could you pick up some milk and bread while I'm at college? Nothing too expensive!"

She turned to leave but the she felt his hand wrap round her wrist.

"Momo, can you do me a favour?" asked Toshiro, his eyes slightly tired from lack of sleep.

"Sure thing, but what is it?" she asked quietly. She was growing worried for her friend, he hadn't been sleeping well and even though he was welcome to food, he wouldn't eat. She watched as he pulled out a letter and handed it to her.

"Could you give this to Ichigo Kurosaki while you're there?" asked Toshiro, "He's tall, had a laptop bag on his shoulder most of the time and his bright orange hair. When you find him, tell him it's me but don't tell him where I am, understood?"  
>Momo nodded again and allowed worry to crease her forehead. What on earth was going on?<p>

"Ok Shiro." She said quietly, "You know where the food is, take a bath or shower if you want, go on the laptop, I don't mind really…"

Toshiro nodded and watched as his roommate walked out the door, locking it behind her. He went to the kitchen and buttered a piece of bread, but he only nibbled at it. Most of these days he sat on the laptop or tried to write music, the music not going very successfully at all. He sat on Facebook, Bebo and Twitter, but he could not find Ichigo on any of them.

He logged onto Facebook, seeing as it was his favourite network site and looked to see that he had multiple notifications form Rangiku, Rukia and Yachiru, who he hadn't seen in years. The bottom of the screen had a red bit flashing and as he clicked it, Matsumoto had sent him a message instantly.

"_Shiro, I've been worried sick about you!" _she said.

"_I'm sorry, I've… been busy." _Offered Toshiro, his typing far faster than Rangiku. He looked up to see that he had been tagged in photos and posts, but none of them really interested him. A few game requests, but he didn't really like them either. He then looked to the far left to see one friend notification.

"_Shiro, there's gonna be a party in Karakura tonight, wanna come?" _

Toshiro thought about it and shook his head.

"_Sorry Rangiku, not tonight. I'm saving up money to go back to college so I can't really afford it."_

He rose to his feet to get a glass of water and by the time he returned Rangiku had already responded, adding a smiley face right at the end of it.

"_It's fine, Byakuya hired a limo to take us there, actually, where are you right now?"_

"_Limye village."_

"_Oh really? Well, I guess that is quite a safe place to be I suppose…"  
><em>

_"Fine, I'll come, but only for a few hours, got me?"_

"_OK, that's fine! I'm so excited now XD"_

Toshiro felt close to ripping out his hair. Why, why on the name of all gods, why did he just say yes? Any other place but Karakura would have been good, but… Toshiro slapped himself for his stupidity and then picked up the phone, dialling Momo's number as quickly as he could.

Ichigo had just finished reading the note he had received from the small girl before him and smile, showing his thanks. She turned round and then her phone went off. She widened her eyes in surprise before answering.

"Hello?" she said, "Shiro?"

"Momo, would it be ok if I went to a party with my cousin?" asked Toshiro quickly. Momo smiled brightly, glad that this might be the thing to cheer him up.

"Sure thing!" she said, "Where is the party?"

"Somewhere in Karakura town, I think it's in a club near the university." Replied Toshiro, "I was just phoning because I won't be there when I get back, Rangiku is determined to make me buy clothes before I go and it's a real pain in the neck."

"Well, you'd want to look good for a party, wouldn't you?" she said, laughing lightly. They continued talking, but unknown to her Ichigo stood, abashed. She actually knew where he was? His emotions got the better of him and he snatched the phone of her.

"Hey! Give that back!" she shouted, before freezing, "Kurosaki-san?"

She blinked a few times before she nodded lightly, looking to the ground as Ichigo pressed the phone to his ear.

"Toshiro?"

… Silence. The phone was quiet at the end until a sharp intake of breath could be heard.

"Kurosaki, when I hang up hand the phone back to Hinamori." Said Hitsugaya sharply, "No arguments."

The phone line went dead and Ichigo growled to himself, handing the phone back to Momo before whacking himself on the head. He should have seen that coming, but then again, his feelings were getting in the way. He looked at Momo.

"I'm sorry, I just really had to talk to him." Said Ichigo, scratching at the back of his head as Chad, Uryu and Orihime stood behind him, staring confusedly at him before the idiot Keigo distracted them.

"What is your connection to Shiro-Chan, Kurosaki-San?" asked Momo nervously, staring at him, "Because I think he… he thinks about you a lot."

Ichigo smirked. That was predictable, the idiot snowball probably blamed everything on himself, but then again, who knows what could be going on in his head?  
>"I'm concerned about him. He won't eat, sleep and I think he's suffering from depression."<p>

Ichigo blinked and then opened his mouth to speak, but no word came out. He didn't really know what to say to that. It was likely true but then… why would she tell him? She didn't even know him till today!

"Kurosaki-San, can you please go to that party tonight?" Momo pleased, clasping her hands together, "I want to know what's wrong with him, but it's near enough impossible!"  
>Ichigo nodded before kneeling slightly, patting her head comfortingly.<p>

"Don't worry, I'll find out what's wrong." Said Ichigo confidently, "Just you wait, when he comes home he'll be happy as Larry."

Toshiro stared at the laptop screen and froze. That one friend request was from Ichigo himself, who he had just been talking to. He already felt guilty on hanging up on him like that and he couldn't bring himself to decline the friend request, so he had accepted it.  
>After scanning his page for a few minutes, most of the people on it were asking if his injury he received more than three months ago was better now. Some of the people he knew. Rukia was one, Abarai was another. How did the orange haired teen have so many friends in common with him?<p>

Right at that moment the door was chapped, making Toshiro shut down the laptop quickly and the bolt to the door, standing on his tiptoes to peer through the spy glass before opening the door. He was greeting with Rangiku stuffing his head in her boobs and laughing maniacally. He frowned and pushed her away, shouting his head off.

"BAKA!" he yelled, gasping for air while she just laughed.

"Your personality hasn't changed!" she laughed, "Anyway, let's go! I need to get you a new outfit!"

At the shopping centre, Toshiro shivered as the memories that horrified him flooded back, but he ignored them as Rangiku continued to press shirts against him to see what would go. She was struggling on the blue/teal one or the blue/grey one. She eventually chose that one with that suited his eyes and a pair of ripped jeans, much to the Hitsugaya's disliking.

"Rangiku, what are you trying to do?" muttered Toshiro crossly, "Get every single person at this party staring at me?"  
>"C'mon Shiro," she said, "You have to like, you're like… a total babe magnet!"<br>"Shut up." He muttered, turning his back from her, "I'm not, it's just my hair that attracts people. Why is my hair white while everyone else had darker hair? It's like I was destined to be a bright light that attracts trouble…"  
>"Don't ruin the mood!" moaned Rangiku, picking out a pair of trainers and dragging him to the till, the woman smiling brightly as he took the clothes of the apparent 'child'.<p>

"That is £124.98 please." She said brightly. Toshiro reached for his wallet but Rangiku stopped him, smiling.

"Don't worry about it, I can pay." Said Rangiku. Toshiro began to protest.

"But Rangiku, that's too much money-" he was quickly cut off.

"Think of it as the birthday presents I've never given you." Replied Rangiku, placing her credit card in the machine and then taking the bag off of the clerk. "Lets go! We need to get ready now!"  
>She gave a bow to the clerk and dragged an annoyed Hitsugaya away, who was grumbling to himself in fury. He was going to a party, something he hadn't done since he was little.<p>

"Rangiku, are you sure this is a good idea?" questioned Toshiro slowly.

"Of course, you need some time out Shiro!" said Rangiku, grinning at him.  
>Somehow he didn't think this was a very good idea at all.<p>

* * *

><p>Ichigo was in his bathroom, frowning at the piece of hair that just wouldn't spike. He wouldn't normally bother with his hair, but a party was a party, he had to look at least half-decent. He was glad he had his own flat or else his family would just be nagging at him to get out the bathroom.<p>

He stares at it and with one finally tweak it went into place. No dancing for him then, if he did go dancing then he would be pretty much screwed, considering her was not to take part in any sports for at least a year. The only reason he was going was to make sure Toshiro was all right… right?

His phone gave a bleep and he smirked as Momo texted him: 'You nearly ready to go? Shiro just said he was about to go with Rangiku.'  
>Picking up the cell phone he very rarely used, he text back 'Aye, I'll be there in around ten minutes.' And with that he took off, grabbing his leather coat on the way on and double locking his door. Who knew how rough the night was going to be.<p>

* * *

><p>He stood near the entrance, watching as a sleek black limo pulled up and a strawberry blonde woman with a rather large bust came out, Toshiro soon after him. Ichigo remained in a shadow, determined not to get caught just yet as the both walked past him, Rukia and Byakuya at their heels. The older noble had his arm wrapped round a smaller woman who had her hair done in two pigtails and wore a black dress, simple yet beautiful.<p>

A few minutes passed before he decided to move and walked into the place. It was… one of those up and down dance parties that could last until 3am, that definitely was not going to happen. He sat in a corner and watched from a far.

Toshiro stood still, looking around and covering his eyes as they flashed round. He was not used to this, not on bit. Due to him looking different from other people, he was always cast out, in school he was never invited to parties, nights out etc. He looked at Rangiku hopelessly.

"Shiro, why don't you go get a drink?" said Rangiku suddenly, "I'm sure you need one."  
>"And get what, a coke?" snickered Hitsugaya distastefully, "Rangiku, I look like a twelve year old!"<p>

"I'll deal with that." Said Rangiku, winking as he was dragged over to the bar. He was grumbling to himself; what would people be thinking when they saw someone who looked no older than twelve years old drinking at a bar?

"Yamada, remember me?" shouted Rangiku, appearing next to a bar with a big, confident grin on her face.

"Matsumoto-san… it's been a l-long time." Uttered the boy, cleaning a glass, "Is there something I can help you with?"

At that exact moment Toshiro felt himself getting picked u and sat down on a chair. He scowled and glared at Rangiku who burst out laughing.

"Ah, you see my friend, this boy here is actually sixteen years old but due to his growth problems he looks a lot younger." Said Rangiku, ruffling Toshiro's hair, "Do me a favour and make sure the bartenders know to serve him whatever he wants? Oh, and… as a warm up, give him a Miller beer or somethin'."

"Sure thing Matsumoto-San." Replied Yamada, kneeling down and bringing out a fresh glass before going over to the spray, bubbly beer pouring into the cup and then placing it gingerly in front of him, "Here you go sir, nice and fresh."

Toshiro stared at it before looking at Rangiku, who gave him the thumbs up before she rushed off to dance a little while with Rukia. He turned back to his drink and narrowed his eyes, wrapping his hand round it with great difficulty. The glass was too big for his hand!

"Excuse me sir, would you like a straw?"

Toshiro looked at him unbelievably. _A straw? What age did they take him for?_

"No thank you." He said for gritted teeth, noticing that he still left the straw right next to him. He face-palmed and then resorted to using two hands to lift the damned thing up. After taking a few sips, he noted that it didn't really taste that bad.

On the dance floor, Ichigo was narrowly dodging the woman that were launching themselves at him, flirting and pleading with him to dance with them. He swerved another drunk woman and then bumped into someone else.

"Oh, sorry-"

"Ichigo, its been ages since I last saw you!" the woman behind him gasped. Ichigo whipped round and widened his eyes in surprise.

"Rukia?" said Ichigo hesitantly, "I thought you were at college in California?"

"I was, but then I got transferred to a college in Sakura Town." Replied Rukia cheerily, "From what I've heard, you're studying medical skills in Karakura, right? I bet you're a natural!"

"I guess you could say that." Said Ichigo smoothly, looking to the side. "Hey, Rukia, I'll catch up with you later."

She nodded and turned back to Rangiku, who had mysteriously vanished from sight. She sighed and then went hunting, it wouldn't take her long to find her since it was near enough impossible _not _to see her. Ichigo watched her run off before scanning the area before spotting him.

Toshiro was still at the bar, trying drink after drink after drink. He walked towards him hesitantly before blinking, unsure what to say.

"Sir, I think you've had enough to drink!" said a quite frightened Yamada, watching as a snowy white head rested itself against the table.

"Guess your right…" mumbled Toshiro, looking at him with glazed over eyes, "I'll just go find Matsumoto…"

He tumbled off the seat and walked a bit unsteadily towards the crowd until he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"Toshiro, I think you should sit down." Said Ichigo sternly.

"It's Hitsugaya Kurosaki-" Toshiro stopped before he turned round, confusion written on his face as the orange haired teen stared at him. "Kurosaki, w-what the h-hell are you doing h-here?"

"Toshiro, it's a night club, I just happened to show up and you were here too." Replied Ichigo.

"Yeah right, you heard I was coming here from when I was talking to Hinamori."

"And what if I did?"

Toshiro thought about it for a moment before he shrugged. Even though he had warned Ichigo to stay away from him, he couldn't really do much to stop him. He stood, swaying for a few moments before Rangiku appeared next to him, laughing.

"Ah Shiro, looks like you've done yourself good!" she laughed, "Normally its me that's drunk, not you! And who's this? A friend?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Said the teen, letting go of Toshiro's shoulder slowly, making sure he didn't topple over, "I met Toshiro around three months ago."

"He's a pain in the ass." Mumbled Toshiro, causing Rangiku to laugh harder.

"You make such funny jokes when you're drunk!" she laughed, ruffling his hair, "I'll leave you to and check up on him later."

"Sure thing." Said Ichigo quickly, kneeling down as Toshiro tripped over his shoelace, scowling.

"I was b-being deadly s-serious…" muttered Toshiro.

"Whatever kid." Said Ichigo finding a corner where a sofa was and sitting him down on it, "Since you're so drunk I won't make you explain yourself but-"

"Hey, Strawberry," came a voice from behind him, "You own this kid? Would ya be willing ta sell 'im?"

Ichigo turned round and glared at the drunken man. Fox-like features and a grin that just gave people shivers. He had his eyes closed and had longish silver hair that framed his face. He wore a suit, as if he was a businessman on a trip.

"How much fo' tha' Chibi-chan?" he asked again, "Name yer price."

"Sorry, I don't do those kind of deals." Said Ichigo through gritted teeth, "He doesn't belong to anybody, he belongs to himself."

"Ah, a prize without a master," said the man, ruffling through his robes and bringing out a pad of paper, "Yer 'is frien' right? How much will make ya happy when I take tha lil' mite home?"

"He's not going anywhere." Growled Ichigo, standing in front of him defensively, "Get your perverse ass away from here."

"Ah, now tha' I think 'bout it, yer not too bad a prize either." He said suddenly, looking at the orange hair and the quite nice looking features on the boy, "Ma name is Gin Ichimaru, and am a collector. Ya see, when I find somethin' pretty, I can't help but snatch it away."

"Fuck off." Warned Ichigo, "Before I kill you."

"Ah, Feisty-Chan." Chucked Ichimaru, placing a hand on his head, "Yer coming whey me."

Ichigo had finally reached his limits. He raised a foot up and prepared to boot the man in the gut but had no success whatsoever when one of his guards came and defended him. The blonde glared at him and kept his foot in place, twisting it slightly so tha he would fall and hit the ground. A sudden stabbing feeling erupted in his side, causing him to shudder.

"_Damn it!" _He thought to himself, _"That frickin' wound had to act now? Any other time than now damn it!"_

"Ah, wha's tha matter strawberry?" said Gin suddenly, staring at him at he clutched at his side. "Hiding somethin' from meh?"

Ichimaru kneeled down and then used his right arm to block a flailing fist to the ground as he rolled up Kurosaki's shirt and smirked at the telltale scarring. It hadn't fully healed yet and was still causing him pain if he done anything too drastic, as in right now.

"Heh, yer've got ya self a wee bit damaged Feisty-Chan." Said Gin, running a finger over the old wound and causing Ichigo to shudder once more, "Are ya tha' Kurosaki lad that saved Chibi-Chan's book? Ya are, aren't ya?"

Ichigo glared daggers at him, forcing his other fist to move and aimed it directly at the fox mans face but that just got caught in his other hand.

"Nu uh, stop bein' so disobedient Feisty-Chan." Chuckled Gin, totally unexpected on what was about to happen. Toshiro was on his feet, vase in hand, and before the blonde bodyguard could react, the thing was smashed across Ichimaru's head, causing him to hiss and immediately let go of Ichigo. He whipped round and clawed at him, successfully grabbing at his throat.

He raised Toshiro up and pushed him against a wall. The Snowflake glared before clenching his eyes shut.

"L-let go…" he gasped, the bruising grip on his throat not once loosening. Ichigo stared up and then aimed his other leg at the blonde bodyguard, but was quickly flipped over onto his back and let out a cry of pain as an arm was twisted swiftly around his back, a foot taking a place on top. Toshiro couldn't pay notice as he felt the grip on his throat tighten and he let out a small whimper of discomfort. Unknown to Gin and the bodyguard, the music had stopped everyone was looking at them, their expressions horrified.

Ichigo was seemingly the only one to notice this and let out a sigh of relief. At least this time there were a lot of people he and Toshiro knew here and his sisters were at no risk whatsoever. Gin looked round at the crowd, blood running down the side of his face as he reached down into his pocket. Slowly he pulled out a sleek black gun and smirked.

"Everybody put yer hands up and leave tha building, or Chibi-Chan gets it." Said Gin, smirking as he pressed the bullet hole against the pulse in Toshiro's neck.

There was a sudden gasp and most people exited the building, leaving only a select few in the crowd who refused to move.

"RUN AWAY!"

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><p>AN: Leave a review? Thanks


	4. Chapter 4

A message to all readers. Any unfinished story on this account will be deleted in the next 24 hours and replaced onto a new account. If this story is spotted on an account whose username is quite similar to my own, it has not been stolen. It's just me placing them onto my new account.

Don't expect then to be published immediately. I want to revise and correct them of their errors first. Please be patient.

Shannon.


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